Matthew "Matthue" Roth
(born June 30, 1978) is an American columnist, author, poet,
spoken word
Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
performer,
video game design
Video game design is the process of designing the content and rules of video games in the pre-production stage and designing the gameplay, environment, storyline and characters in the production stage. Some common video game design subdiscipline ...
er, and screenwriter.
Beginning his career as a
slam poet
A poetry slam is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges. While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery ...
in San Francisco, Roth gained attention for his unusual blend of religious themes with frank sexual material, and appeared in the 2002 live
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
production of ''
Def Poetry Jam
''Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry'', better known as simply ''Def Poetry Jam'' or ''Def Poetry'', is a spoken word poetry television series hosted by Mos Def and airing on HBO between 2002 and 2007. The series features performances by establ ...
''. As a writer, he has written three
young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
novels, two children's books, and two memoirs, and has written for ''
The Forward
''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ' ...
'', ''
Tablet
Tablet may refer to:
Medicine
* Tablet (pharmacy), a mixture of pharmacological substances pressed into a small cake or bar, colloquially called a "pill"
Computing
* Tablet computer, a mobile computer that is primarily operated by touching the s ...
'', and ''
Jewcy
''Jewcy'' is an online magazine of Jewish pop culture and offbeat news. The site was launched on November 15, 2006. ''The Guardian'' has described ''Jewcy'' as "a cultural icon" and "at the forefront of a reinvention of Jewish identity by young U ...
''. He also co-founded the Jewish culture website ''
Hevria
Hevria is an American Jews, Jewish arts and culture website and collective.
History
Hevria was founded as a group blog in April 2014 by writers Elad Nehorai and Matthue Roth. The site's name is a portmanteau of the Hebrew words "''chevra''" (gr ...
'', with
Elad Nehorai
Elad Nehorai (born September 23, 1984) is an American writer, activist, and social and political commentator. A Left-wing politics, left-wing, formerly Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jew, his writing and activism typically revolves around social justi ...
, and the Jewish educational website ''G-dcast'' (later ''BimBam''), with Sarah Lefton.
In 2014, Roth and his then-wife, restaurateur Itta Werdiger-Roth, were included in ''
The Jewish Week
''The Jewish Week'' is a weekly independent community newspaper targeted towards the Jewish community of the metropolitan New York City area. ''The Jewish Week'' covers news relating to the Jewish community in NYC. In March 2016, ''The Jewish We ...
''
's "36 Under 36", a list of influential young Jews under age 36.
Early life
Roth was born on June 30, 1978, in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Pennsylvania. His parents were both teachers.
While he was raised in a
Conservative Jewish
Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generat ...
family and participated in an
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
youth group, he was largely nonreligious for several years and was an
anarchist
Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...
in high school.
Roth's parents bought him a
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
when he was 13, which he used to write for several websites as well as his first novel, ''Colony One'', which he later called "horrible".
When he was 14, a female friend of his was
sexually assaulted
Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
, which he later said "kind of sent me into a tailspin...I was like, this is
male sexuality
Human male sexuality encompasses a wide variety of feelings and behaviors. Men's feelings of attraction may be caused by various physical and social traits of their potential partner. Men's sexual behavior can be affected by many factors, incl ...
and male sexuality is violent and I don’t want a part of that...One of the only
safe spaces
The term safe space refers to places "intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations". The term originated in LGBT culture, but has since expanded to include any place where a margi ...
that I found was hanging around
queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
people."
The memory loosely inspired his later young adult novel, ''Rules of My Best Friend's Body''.
He graduated from
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
, where he studied
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
and
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
. During this time, Roth developed a deeper interest in his
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
and joined a daily
minyan
In Judaism, a ''minyan'' ( he, מניין \ מִנְיָן ''mīnyān'' , lit. (noun) ''count, number''; pl. ''mīnyānīm'' ) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. In more traditional streams of Jud ...
on campus.
He also began growing
peyos
''Pe'ot'', English language, anglicized as payot ( he, פֵּאוֹת, pēʾōt, "corners") or payes (), is the Hebrew term for sidelocks or sideburns. Payot are worn by some men and boys in the Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish community based ...
while studying abroad at
Charles University
)
, image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg
, image_size = 200px
, established =
, type = Public, Ancient
, budget = 8.9 billion CZK
, rector = Milena Králíčková
, faculty = 4,057
, administrative_staff = 4,026
, students = 51,438
, undergr ...
in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
.
Career
Spoken word
After graduation, Roth remained in Washington, D.C. and worked as a sociological trend consultant, but was unsatisfied with his social life there and "desperately wanted to get out."
After a friend gave him a copy of the novel ''
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
'' by author
Michelle Tea
Michelle Tea (born Michelle Tomasik, 1971) is an American author, poet, and literary arts organizer whose autobiographical works explore queer culture, feminism, race, class, sex work, and other topics. She is originally from Chelsea, Massachuset ...
, Roth found himself drawn to the book's portrayal of San Francisco's subculture and moved to the city, where he lived from 2001 to 2004.
While living in San Francisco, Roth met up with Tea and other former
Sister Spit Sister Spit was a lesbian-feminist spoken-word and performance art collective based in San Francisco, signed to Mr. Lady Records. They formed in 1994 and disbanded in 2006. Founding members included Michelle Tea and Sini Anderson, Other members i ...
members and began performing poetry and
spoken word
Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
at local clubs.
During the 2000s, he performed at the
Intersection for the Arts
Intersection for the Arts, established in 1965, is the oldest alternative non-profit organization, non-profit art space in San Francisco, California. Intersection's reading series is the longest continuous reading series outside of an academic in ...
with Tea,
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers (born March 12, 1970) is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He wrote the 2000 best-selling memoir ''A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius''. Eggers is also the founder of ''Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'', a lite ...
, and
Beth Lisick;
at a
Chabad
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...
menorah lighting event at
Justin Herman Plaza
Embarcadero Plaza, previously known as Justin Herman Plaza from its opening in 1972 until 2017, is a plaza near the intersection of Market and Embarcadero in San Francisco's Financial District, in the U.S. state of California. It is owned by Bost ...
with
Shlomo Katz and
Carlos Santana
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
; the Daniland Talent Showcase alongside the Suicide Kings,
Sini Anderson
Sini Anderson (born November 6, 19??) is an American film director, producer, performance artist, choreographer, dancer and poet, from Chicago, Illinois. Anderson is widely known for directing ''The Punk Singer'' (2013), a documentary about riot ...
, Carlos Mena, and
Aya de Leon
Aya de Leon (born 1967) is an American novelist and activist who teaches at the University of California Berkeley. She first came to national attention as a spoken-word artist in the underground poetry scene in the San Francisco Bay Area, and a ...
;
and a 2002
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
production of ''
Def Poetry Jam
''Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry'', better known as simply ''Def Poetry Jam'' or ''Def Poetry'', is a spoken word poetry television series hosted by Mos Def and airing on HBO between 2002 and 2007. The series features performances by establ ...
''.
He also performed at
Solomon Schechter High School of New York and at the
Hillel House
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, also known as Hillel International or Hillel, is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally. Hillel is represented at more than 550 coll ...
of
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
.
In 2009, Roth and rapper Mista Cookie Jar formed the
nerdcore hip hop
Nerdcore is a genre of hip hop music characterized by subject matter considered of interest to nerds and geeks. Self-described nerdcore musician MC Frontalot has the earliest known recorded use of the term (to describe this genre) in the 2000 ...
duo Chibi Vision. They debuted with ''The Chanukah Mini-EP'' and announced a full-length album, ''The Elements of Style'', shortly afterward. They were featured on a 2011 segment of ''
The Henry Rollins Show
''The Henry Rollins Show'' was a weekly talk show hosted by musician Henry Rollins on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). The show featured Rollins' monologues, interviews with celebrities and uncensored musical performances. The show was cancele ...
'' on
KCRW
KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...
.
Literary career
In 2005,
Cleis Press
Cleis Press is an American independent publisher of books in the areas of sexuality, erotica, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, gender studies, fiction, and human rights. The press was founded in 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It later moved to S ...
published Roth's first full-length book, the memoir ''Yom Kippur a Go-Go'', named for a
zine
A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published
Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...
he had written three years prior. Jason Diamond of ''
Flavorwire
''Flavorwire'' is a New York City-based online culture magazine. The site includes original feature articles, interviews, reviews, as well as content recycled from other sources. ''Flavorwire'' describes themselves as "a network of culturally con ...
'' later described it as "striking a balance between
oth'sold-time religious beliefs and modern-world interests, from poetry to hip hop.".
That same year, Roth published his first
young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
novel, ''
Never Mind the Goldbergs'', through
Scholastic's PUSH imprint. While the book was written in six months, it took two years to edit, and Roth encountered difficulty finding a publisher for the book due to its unusual tone and subject matter.
Upon release, the book garnered mixed reception
but received the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults award and the
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
Best Book for the Teen Age award. A release party was held on January 20, 2005, at La Tazza 108 in Philadelphia with musical performances by Juez and
E.D. Sedgwick. Roth subsequently published two more young adult novels, ''Candy in Action'' in 2007 and ''Losers'' in 2008, on PUSH and
Soft Skull Press
Counterpoint LLC was a publishing company distributed by Perseus Books Group launched in 2007. It was formed from the consolidation of three presses: Perseus' Counterpoint Press, Avalon Publishing Group's Shoemaker & Hoard and the independent So ...
, respectively.
Roth published his first children's book with ''My First Kafka: Runaways, Rodents, and Giant Bugs'', released on June 15, 2013. Illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason, the book reinterprets the works of
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...
for a child audience, specifically "
The Metamorphosis
''Metamorphosis'' (german: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himsel ...
", "
Josephine the Singer, or The Mouse Folk", and "Excursion into the Mountains" from ''
Contemplation
In a religious context, the practice of contemplation seeks a direct awareness of the divine which transcends the intellect, often in accordance with prayer or meditation.
Etymology
The word ''contemplation'' is derived from the Latin word '' ...
''. Roth conceived of the project while reading "
Jackals and Arabs" to his two young daughters. He and Eason re-teamed the following year for ''The Gobblings'', about a lonely boy on a
space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station i ...
who must defeat a race of metal-eating monsters.
Roth published a new young adult novel, ''Rules of My Best Friend's Body'', in 2017. The novel, about a teenage boy whose female friend is
sexually assaulted
Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
, was originally intended for publication through Fig Tree Books, but Roth ended up
self-publishing
Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...
, and the book was made available for both free online download and physical order.
Roth conducted a public reading of the book at
Jefferson Market Library
The Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library, once known as the Jefferson Market Courthouse, is a National Historic Landmark located at 425 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue), on the southwest corner of West 10th Street, in Green ...
.
Roth released ''Somehow I Have Built A Nest'', a micro-
chapbook
A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch.
In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookle ...
and collection of poems published through Ghost City Press as part of their Summer 2021 series. Like his previous novel, ''Somehow I Have Built A Nest'' was made available for free online.
In February 2022, Roth spoke as part of a
symposium
In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...
on "Jewish Writing vs. Writing by Jews", moderated by
Goldie Goldbloom
Goldie Goldbloom (born 1964) is an Australian Hasidic novelist, essayist and short story writer. She is an LGBT activist and a former board member of Eshel.
Early life and education
Goldbloom was born in Perth, Western Australia. She is a gra ...
for the
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) is a nonprofit literary organization that provides support, advocacy, resources, and community to nearly 50,000 writers, 500 college and university creative writing programs, and 125 writers' c ...
conference in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
. Other participants were Sarah Stone, Yehoshua November, and
Riva Lehrer
Riva Lehrer (born in 1958 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American painter, writer, teacher, and speaker. Lehrer was born with spina bifida and has undergone numerous surgeries throughout her life. Her work focuses on issues of physical identity and ...
.
Other projects
Amplify
Prior to 2015, Roth was a lead writer and developer of educational software games for the company
Amplify.
He was one of several of Amplify employees laid off after its sale by parent company
News Corp
News Corporation, stylized as News Corp, is an American mass media and publishing company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The second incarnation of the News Corporation (1980–2013), original News Corporation, it was formed ...
in 2015.
''BimBam'' (''G-dcast'')
In 2012, Roth and producer Sarah Lefton co-founded the website and production company ''G-dcast'' (later renamed ''BimBam''), having developed the idea since meeting in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
in 2005. The website produced short
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
video content based on the weekly
parsha
The term ''parashah'' ( he, פָּרָשָׁה ''Pārāšâ'', "portion", Tiberian , Sephardi , plural: ''parashot'' or ''parashiyot'', also called ''parsha'') formally means a section of a biblical book in the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh (Heb ...
, stories from the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
, and other parts of the
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
, with the goal of educating children and others learning about Judaism.
In addition to his role as co-founder, Roth scripted and edited several videos for the site. BimBam was shut down in April 2019 due to lack of funding.
''Hevria''
Roth and activist/blogger
Elad Nehorai
Elad Nehorai (born September 23, 1984) is an American writer, activist, and social and political commentator. A Left-wing politics, left-wing, formerly Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jew, his writing and activism typically revolves around social justi ...
co-founded the website ''
Hevria
Hevria is an American Jews, Jewish arts and culture website and collective.
History
Hevria was founded as a group blog in April 2014 by writers Elad Nehorai and Matthue Roth. The site's name is a portmanteau of the Hebrew words "''chevra''" (gr ...
'' in mid-2014. The site's name is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words[group blog
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...](_blank)
centered around essays about Judaism and art, the site also features "Hevria Sessions", studio performances by Jewish musicians, and, from 2017 to 2019, an official
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
entitled ''HevriaCast'', where Nehorai interviews various Jewish artists, writers, and musicians. Roth and Nehorai conceived of the project during an email conversation in 2012 with writer Chaya Kurtz, who had gotten attention for an ''
xoJane
''xoJane'' (also known as ''xoJane.com'') was an American online magazine from 2011-2016 geared toward women and founded by Jane Pratt and co-published by Say Media. Pratt was the founding editor of '' Sassy'' and ''Jane'' magazines.
In less t ...
'' article entitled "What Women's Media Needs to Know About Chassidic Women"; the three theorized that a full website could give even more insight into Hasidic Jews, and Nehorai subsequently recruited other blogging contacts to participate.
Following Nehorai's departure in 2020, Roth took over as editor of the site.
''1/20''
Roth wrote the screenplay for the independent film ''1/20'' (2010), a
coming-of-age story In genre studies, a coming-of-age story is a genre of literature, theatre, film, and video game that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood, or "coming of age". Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or internal ...
centered around
punk rock and the
2008 presidential election and featuring music from the punk bands
Against Me!
Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...
and
Can Can, among others. Roth, who had not done any prior screenwriting, was hired by the producers on the strength of ''
Never Mind the Goldbergs,'' and partially based the story on his time living in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Directed by Gerardo del Castillo Ramirez, the movie was primarily shot in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, and
Monsey, and finished filming in November 2009.
Upon release, the movie was screened at the
Detroit Windsor International Film Festival
The Detroit Windsor International Film Festival (DWIFF), which ran from 2008 to 2012, was a publicly attended film festival held each June in the Detroit–Windsor region, with events taking place in both Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario. ...
,
the Mexico International Film Festival (where it won the Bronze Palm), the
Guadalajara International Film Festival
The Guadalajara International Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara) is a week-long film festival held each March in the Mexican city of Guadalajara since 1986.
The presence in Guadalajara of delegates from other impo ...
, and Indie Fest, where it won an Award of Merit.
Personal life
Roth married to Itta Werdiger, a
Lubavitcher
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups ...
from
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
who founded the kosher restaurants The Hester and Mason & Mug.
The couple met in 2004 in Brooklyn while Roth was trying to write for television. At the advice of Werdiger's father-in-law, the couple moved to
Nachlaot
Nachlaot ( he, נחלאות, also ''Naḥlaʾoth'') is a cluster of 23 courtyard neighborhoods in central Jerusalem surrounding the Mahane Yehuda Market. It is known for its narrow, winding lanes, old-style housing, hidden courtyards and many smal ...
,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
so that Roth could study for a year at Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo. He also met with the
Biala Rebbe multiple times during this period, and later became a follower.
The couple have four daughters.
Roth and Werdiger were
divorced
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
as of 2021.
Roth enrolled in an
MFA program in Creative Writing at
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus.
Being New York City's first publ ...
, from which he graduated in 2014.
He suffers from an
anxiety disorder
Anxiety disorders are a cluster of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal function are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physi ...
and has written about his struggles with it.
Discography
Solo
EPs
* ''Live at Metro Cafe'' (2001)
* ''Dork'' (2013)
Singles
* "Lost Season 6 Spoilers" (2010)
* "Creator" (2015)
Featured appearances
* 2009: "By Ur Side"
(Mistah Cookie Jar ft. Matthue Roth) on ''Mistah Cookie Jar Presents: The Love Bubble''
* 2011: "Dance"
(Stereo Sinai ft. Matthue Roth) on ''Biblegum Pop''
With Chibi Vision
* ''The Chanukah Mini-EP'' (2009)
Bibliography
Memoirs
* ''Yom Kippur a Go-Go'' (2005,
Cleis Press
Cleis Press is an American independent publisher of books in the areas of sexuality, erotica, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, gender studies, fiction, and human rights. The press was founded in 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It later moved to S ...
)
* ''Automatic'' (2011, independent)
Children's books
* ''My First Kafka: Runaways, Rodents, and Giant Bugs'' (2013)
* ''The Gobblings'' (2014)
Young adult novels
* ''
Never Mind the Goldbergs'' (2005,
PUSH
Push may refer to:
Music
* Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push
Albums
* ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988
* ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992
* ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010
Songs
* "Push" (Enrique Iglesias s ...
)
* ''Candy in Action'' (2007,
Soft Skull Press
Counterpoint LLC was a publishing company distributed by Perseus Books Group launched in 2007. It was formed from the consolidation of three presses: Perseus' Counterpoint Press, Avalon Publishing Group's Shoemaker & Hoard and the independent So ...
)
* ''Losers'' (2008, PUSH)
* ''Rules of My Best Friend's Body'' (2017, self-published)
Zines
* ''Bellybudding: Post-It Note Poems'' (2001)
* ''Platonic'' (2001)
* ''Yom Kippur a Go-Go'' (2002)
* ''Sometimes I Throw Stuff At This House'' (2004)
Anthology contributions
* ''Bottoms Up: Writing About Sex'' (2004) (edited by
Diana Cage
Diana Cage (born July 16, 1979) is an American feminist author, editor, cultural critic and radio personality. Her work examines sexuality, feminism, and LGBT culture.
Career
Cage began writing about sex and culture while interning under editor ...
) (Poem: "Waiting for the Man")
* ''Homewrecker: An Adultery Reader'' (2005) (edited by
Daphne Gottlieb) (Short story: "Beating Around the Burning Bush")
* ''This Is PUSH: New Stories from the Edge'' (2007) (edited by
David Levithan
David Levithan (born September 7, 1972) is an American young adult fiction author and editor."David Levithan". October 30, 2008. Gale Database. ''Contemporary Authors Online''. UWM Golda Meir Library, Milwaukee. July 1, 2009. He has written numer ...
) (Short story: "The Waitress")
* ''Democrat's Soul: A Tried-and-True View of Everything Blue'' (2008) (Short story: "The Only Living Democrat in Brooklyn")
* ''The Autobiographer's Handbook: The
826 National
826 National is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students, ages 6–18, improve their expository and creative writing skills at eight locations across the United States. The chapters include 826 Valencia in San Francisco, 826NYC ...
Guide to Writing Your Memoir'' (2008) (edited by Jennifer Traig)
* ''Don't Forget to Write'' (2011) (edited by Jennifer Traig and
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers (born March 12, 1970) is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He wrote the 2000 best-selling memoir ''A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius''. Eggers is also the founder of ''Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'', a lite ...
) (Essay: "Word Karaoke: Become a Hip-Hop Lyrical Genius")
* ''Truth & Dare: 20 Tales of Heartbreak and Happiness'' (2011) (edited by Liz Miles) (Short story: "Girl Jesus on the Inbound Subway")
* ''Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance'' (2012) (edited by Rhoda Belleza) (Short story: "The Ambush")
* ''Jews vs Aliens'' (2015) (edited by
Lavie Tidhar
Lavie Tidhar ( he, לביא תדהר; born 16 November 1976) is an Israeli-born writer, working across multiple genres. He has lived in the United Kingdom and South Africa for long periods of time, as well as Laos and Vanuatu. As of 2013, Tid ...
and Rebecca Levene) (Short story: "The Ghetto")
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Matthue
1978 births
Writers from Philadelphia
Jewish American novelists
Jewish American screenwriters
Hasidic entertainers
American video game designers
Jewish bloggers
Jewish American poets
Jewish video game developers
Slam poets
American spoken word poets
21st-century American memoirists
Living people
Novelists from Pennsylvania
Brooklyn College alumni